Henna henna...

i have always loved the khushboo [aroma] of mehndi. My mom is also an influence here..she loved putting mehndi on her hands and then in her 30 + years on her mane. Her enthusiasm rubbed off on me and i used to put henna on my hair whenever she used to prepare the mix during my college years. Then the frequency reduced to 1-2 times per year only in summers.
   

     Let's face it: applying henna is too much work ! Mix the mehndi overnight, next day apply it and then keep it on for atleast 3-4 hours.And then on white hair the best you'll probably get is orange color.In her 50s my mom usually sported dark brown orangish head.Well, she had tried coffee powder, iron vessel and everything else under sun to get a dark brown head of hair.
In conclusion, getting henna to go black or brown DOESN'T WORK ! Atleast not without chemical help !. Well, that's what 'kali mehndis' are all about !
I personally, have accepted Henna's personality- Orange and reddish orange to red brown !
So after 4 years i applied henna to hair again. Just for the heck of it ! Because i like the aroma, and because it reminds me of Mom !And the orange color make me happy. I have sinusitis and allergic rhinitis which had kept me away from henna for so many years so since summer is here..i thought i'll take a chance.

As i have grown older, i have lost patience with things that take time.....so let's see if i can keep it on my head for than 3 hours.

For those who are interested here my way of mixing henna for hair:

1. Earlier i used use plain henna but this time i bought Nupur henna pack and added my herb mix of shikakai,amla,jatamansi. But plain henna works just fine and is cheaper to buy too. I think branding has made henna expensive ..its just the same stuff under different brands.All you need to check is shelf life....buy from henna wholesaler if you put henna regularly on hair !
2. I mix henna with tea water and lemon juice. Make thick paste and keep overnight.
3. Next day, just thin out the paste with 2 tbsp of curd or as required apply with gloved hands.
4. Take your time apply properly especially if you are looking to cover greys.I start on top of the head ,take a few strands,coat with henna and make a bun. Repeat and keep piling the bun till you finish all sections.

i know many people put eggs in their mix and its a good idea too because the smell of eggs gets diluted and conditioning effect is tripled.But since i can't bear egg smell in summers i avoid !

After washing hair with water,i usually use a cheap conditioner as a shampoo to get a cleaner feel but if you have applied henna on oiled hair i guess you could shampoo a bit !

Personally, i think henna dries hair and does not condition it. Use it for colour or for tinting hair...don't expect moon out of it ! If you want to condition hair apply eggs/curds with herbs like nagarmoth,jatamasi,brahmi or bringhraj or mix of these herbs.They relieve dandruff and actually improve quality of hair. Keep them for hour or so just like henna mix.